Stabilizers or cushioning devices for railway trucks



C. C. SMITH May 8, 1956 STABILIZERS OR CUSHIONING DEVICES FOR RAILWAY TRUCKS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 6, 1951 c. c. SMITH 2,744,750

STABILIZERS OR CUSHIONING DEVICES FOR RAILWAY TRUCKS May 8, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 6 1951 50 STE)? W W5 M a Q United StatesPatent O STABILIZERS R CUSHIONING DEVICES FOR RAILWAY TRUCKS Charles C. Smith, Atchison, Kans., assignor to The Locomotive Finished Material Company, Atchison, Kans.

Application September 6, 1951, Serial No. 245,282 1 Claim. (Cl. 267--67) The invention relates to devices for stabilizing or cushioning the movements of the bolster of a railroad car truck. 3

One object of the invention is to provide a stabilizer device of this type which can be readily mounted on and demounted from the truck.

Other objects will appear from the detailed description.

The. invention consists in the several features hereinafter set forth and more particularly defined by the claim at the conclusion hereof.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a railway truck equipped with the stabilizer devices, parts being omitted;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a portion of the truck;

Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 33 of Fig. 1;

- Fig. 4 is a side elevation, partly in section, of one of the stabilizer devices;

Fig. 5 is a perspective of one of the brackets on a bolster to which the stabilizer device is connected; and

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one of the retaining collars used on the rod of a stabilizer device.

The invention is exemplified as applied to a railway truck which comprises wheels 9, side frames 11 with journal boxes 12 for the wheel axles 10, a transom 13 between the side frames and a truck bolster 14 for pivotally supporting the car and the truck. The bolster is supported by springs 15 which are carried by a spring plank 16. All of these parts may be of usual or standard construction and operate in a manner well understood in the art.

A lug or bracket 20 is integrally formed on and projects outwardly from each side frame 11 of the truck, and a lug or bracket 21 is integral with and projects 'outwardly from each end of the truck bolster 14. Preferably a stabilizing or cushioning device is mounted at each outer side of the truck between a bracket 20 on the side frame and a bracket 21 on the truck bolster. These devices are of like construction.

Each stabilizing or cushioning device comprises a solid rod 24 which has a pair of abutment plates or washers 26 and 27 welded thereto at shoulders 28 which are spaced inwardly of the confronting sides of brackets 20 and 21. Abutment plates or washers 34 are slidable on rods 24, adapted to bear against the confronting sides of brackets 20 and 21. Each bracket 20 and 21 has a hub 29 which is provided with a bearing 30 and a slot 31 which is open at its outer end and communicates with said bearing. The portions of the rod 24 outwardly of plates or washers 34 fit and are axially slidable in bearings 30 and are insertable and removable transversely from the brackets through slots 31. Annular cushions or pads 33 of rubber or other suitable elastic material are disposed between plates or washers 26 and 27 which are welded to rod 24 and plates or washers 34 in which the rod is slidable. These pads are adapted to cushion the bolster and side frames when operation stresses or impacts are applied to move the brackets 20 and 21 toward each other or which subject the rod to compression stresses. Shims 35 may be inserted between pads ,33 and plates 26 and 27 to compensate for variations in the normal spacing between brackets 20 and 21. Each hub 29 on brackets 20 and 21 is provided on its outer side with a cylindrical socket 37. Retainer collars 38 each have acentral .bore through which rod 34 extends andin which it is slidable, and an inwardly projecting trunnion 40which fits into the outwardly facing socket 37 in one of the brackets 20 and 21 for locking the rod 24 against transverse removal from the open ended slots 31 in said brackets. Annular cushions or pads of rubber, or other-suitable elastic material 41 are confined, between. the outer faces of retaining collars 38 and abutment platesorwashers 42. Nuts 44 are screw-threaded to theouter ends of rod24 and against shoulders 50 for limiting vthe outward movement of washers 43. on said rod. The pads {41 are adapted to cushion the bolster and'side frames against" operation stresses and impacts which are applied to spread apart the brackets 20 on the side frame and the bracket 21 on the bolster or which subject the rod to tensile stresses. Nuts 44 are removablylocked on the rods24 by cotter pins 45. Shims 43 maybe inserted between plates 42 and pads 41 to compensate for normal variations in the space between brackets 20 and 21.

The rod 24 is assembled with pads 33 and 41, abutment plates 26 and 34, collars 38 and nuts 44 thereon. The nuts 44 are screwed outwardly on rod 24 a sufiicient distance to permit the collars 38 and pads 41 to be moved outwardly for the hubs 40 on collars 38 to clear the outer sides of brackets 20 and 21. The portions of rods 24 outwardly of plates 34'will then be clear to pass sidewise through the slots 31 into bearings 30 in brackets 20 and 21 This assembly is then mounted on the truck by inserting the rod 24 transversely through the upper open ends of slots 31 into the bearings 30 in the bracket 20 on the truck frame and the bracket 21 on the bolster with the abutment plates 25 and 26 and pads 33 between said brackets and the collars 38 and pads 41 and abutment plates outwardly of said brackets. The retainer collars 38 are next adjusted on rod 24 to transversely interlock their trunnions 40 on the collars so that the sockets 37 in the outer faces of brackets 20 and 21 will demountably retain the rod 24 in the bearings 30. The nuts 44 are then screwed inwardly along the rod 24 until they engage shoulders 50 on the rod 24. The inner pads 33 will then be under compression between plates 26 and 34, the outer pads 41 will be under compression between collars 38 and plates 43, the brackets 20 and 21 will be confined between plates 34 and collars 38, and the rod will be locked against sidewise removal from said brackets, the rod 24 is then slidable in the brackets responsively to operation stresses or impacts in opposite directions, and the pads are compressed responsively to such stresses for cushioning relative movements of the side frame and bolster and stabilizing the movements of the side frames and bolster.

When impacts or operation stresses are applied to the side frames and bolster which force the brackets to move toward each other, they will slide on the rod 24 and in the bearings 30 of the brackets and cushions 33 will be compressed. When impacts or operation stresses are applied to spread apart the brackets 20 and 21, they will slide on rod 24 and plates or washers 42 will compress pads 41 against collars 38. The pads 41 will retain the collars 38 interlocked with sockets 37 in the brackets during these cushioning movements.

When repair or replacement becomes necessary, the device can be unitarily detached from the side frame and bolster by loosening the nuts 44 sutficiently to permit the collars 38, to be moved outwardly for the withdrawal of trunnions 40 from sockets 37 in the outer faces of transversely from the bearings 30 through slots 31 in said brackets.

The invention exemplifies a stabilizing or cushioning device 'appliedbetween' side frames of a railway truck and the truck bolster which can be unitari'ly and expeditiously'mounted on and demoun'ted from the truck, is simple in construction and efli'cient in operation.

The invention is not to be' understood as restricted, to the details set forth-,sincethese may be modified within, the scope of the appended claimwithout departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Having thus described the i-hvenfion what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

'A'stabilizing or cushioning device between relatively movable elements, comprising: confronting brackets on the elements, respectively, eaclr providedwith a bearing having an open slot and a socket in its outer face; a rigid rod adapted to extend continuously between and through the brackets and to project outwardly beyond the brackets; annularabutmentsfwelded on 'th'e'rod and spaced apart to pass inwardly of the brackets; an inner cushion pad and an inner abutment washer on the rod between each annular abutment and the inner faceof each bracket; the rod being simultaneously insertible transversely through the slots into the bearings in both brackets; the rigid annular abutments, inner pads, and inner washers being transversely movable with the rod into operative positions at the inner sides of the brackets, respectively;

collars axially slidableon the rod, provided with hubs interfitting with the sockets in, and flanges abutting the outer sides of the bearings, respectively, for holding the rod against transverse removal from the bearings; outer cushion pads and abutment Washers on the rod' outwardly of and applied to hold said coll'ars into interfitting relation with the brackets; and means for removably securing the outer pads and abutment plates to hold the hubs in the sockets and the collars against the outer sides of the brackets.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNlTED STATES PATENTS 

